What is the longevity for XP?

[Melvin]

How long will Windows XP remain a viable OS?

[Cheese]

4/8/2014

http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?alpha=Windows+XP

[Bizman]

If history will repeat itself, after that date some device manufacturers will immediately remove all drivers for XP from their support sites (because MS doesn't release updates anymore, they fear for compatibility issues!!!), others will withdraw from all responsibility concerning their  XP drivers (which will be the last versions either shipped with the product or updated). Most manufacturers won't release XP drivers for their new devices after that.

However, it will probably take many years until finding an antivirus program makes it a security risk for Internet surfing, not to mention using the XP rig as a file server, typewriter and such.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

How long will Windows XP remain a viable OS?

In your current computer it will never cease to be a viable OS as long as you have a backup copy of all the required drivers as Bizman said. For new computers it's already difficult to find XP drivers.

[Krusty]

Actually if your OS is still installed, it will never cease to be current...

The problem is if you want to REINSTALL it on an older box. I tried that not too long ago on a secondary machine. Wiped/reformatted/reinstalled, and had SO many problems getting XP to go on it wasn't funny. Not the least of which was you have to manually download and install the SPs until you get to SP2 or 3 to get auto updater to work. Gone are the days you can just set it to install all the updates you need... Those manually downloaded SP1 updates kept erroring out and being pests, corrupting entire OS installs when they quit halfway through, etc.. It wasn't fun in the least.

However, if the OS is still up to date and installed at least to the point you have windows update running, it should last a while.

Unless you need to reformat for some reason.

I ended up moving to Win7 for the advanced memory support and x64 bit features, but XP was still good while I had it. I did like it as an OS. There's a reason it was around for so long.

[Bizman]

had SO many problems getting XP to go on it wasn't funny. Not the least of which was you have to manually download and install the SPs until you get to SP2 or 3 to get auto updater to work. Gone are the days you can just set it to install all the updates you need... Those manually downloaded SP1 updates kept erroring out and being pests, corrupting entire OS installs when they quit halfway through, etc...

Now that's weird! Your downloads must have been corrupted during download.

I do XP reinstalls about every two weeks without any hassle. I must admit, though, that it's been a long time since I last used a no-SP installation disk. Anyway, the standalone versions of Service packs have always worked perfectly after a clean install. I wouldn't try to "run" them, I'd rather save them to desktop before installing them (actually I have them on a memory stick and copy them to desktop when needed). You never know what might happen in the network during a lengthy install procedure, do you?

I have slipstreamed my original XP SP2 CD's to SP3 the Microsoft way. They work like charm. I haven't had interest to do the same to all my brand specific installation disks, though, that's why I last week installed XP SP1 to a Fujitsu-Siemens and updated it first with the two remaining SP's before installing an antivirus and connecting it to the Internet for the remaining 120'ish updates.

[Bino]

Even if you have SP3 included on your disk, there are still around one hundred individual updates to download after an XP install, mostly security patches. 

And after that April 2014 date, no more bug fixes and no more security patches.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Even if you have SP3 included on your disk, there are still around one hundred individual updates to download after an XP install, mostly security patches. 

And after that April 2014 date, no more bug fixes and no more security patches.

Still 2 long years to go. Chances are your old XP computer is dead by then.

[Krusty]

Now that's weird! Your downloads must have been corrupted during download.

I do XP reinstalls about every two weeks without any hassle. I must admit, though, that it's been a long time since I last used a no-SP installation disk. Anyway, the standalone versions of Service packs have always worked perfectly after a clean install. I wouldn't try to "run" them, I'd rather save them to desktop before installing them (actually I have them on a memory stick and copy them to desktop when needed). You never know what might happen in the network during a lengthy install procedure, do you?

I have slipstreamed my original XP SP2 CD's to SP3 the Microsoft way. They work like charm. I haven't had interest to do the same to all my brand specific installation disks, though, that's why I last week installed XP SP1 to a Fujitsu-Siemens and updated it first with the two remaining SP's before installing an antivirus and connecting it to the Internet for the remaining 120'ish updates.

Unless you're lucky to have an XP install disc that has the SPs on it (mine predates that -- it's such a good OS I've had it that long!), you have to go out to MS's website. It's not openly posted, either. You have to search MS's webpage to find the service pack download links.

I did download them directly from MS several times because I thought at first it was corrupt downloads. I saved them locally and ran them off the HDD. I still had issues.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Unless you're lucky to have an XP install disc that has the SPs on it (mine predates that -- it's such a good OS I've had it that long!), you have to go out to MS's website. It's not openly posted, either. You have to search MS's webpage to find the service pack download links.

I did download them directly from MS several times because I thought at first it was corrupt downloads. I saved them locally and ran them off the HDD. I still had issues.

One thing to remember is to keep that old 3,5" floppy drive at hand if you have XP without service pack 2 or 3. Installation to sata drives will fail without it

[Skuzzy]

Jusr slipstream the installation and be done with it.  That way you have all the patches and service packs on a disk ready for the next installation.  Heck, you can add the drivers into it as well so you have one disk with everything you need to get up and running.

If you have a CD/DVD burner, there really is no reason not to build your own install disk.

[715]

Jusr slipstream the installation and be done with it.  That way you have all the patches and service packs on a disk ready for the next installation.  Heck, you can add the drivers into it as well so you have one disk with everything you need to get up and running.

If you have a CD/DVD burner, there really is no reason not to build your own install disk.

Actually, there's a very good reason not to do it: not knowing how. 

My solution is to backup everything via Acronis True Image.  I've actually had to do a total restore once from Acronis and it worked OK.  (If you can believe it, I tried installing an old version of MS Flight Simulator, probably 2004, and it completely hosed my system, probably by clobbering some new dll with an old one.)

[Chalenge]

There is a program called nLite that does this and creates an unattended install too... hang on...

http://lifehacker.com/386526/slipstream-service-pack-3-into-your-windows-xp-installation-cd

[Skuzzy]

Google it 715.  It really is not that difficult to do.  nLite makes it pretty simple, if you do not want to do the command line thing.

[FLOTSOM]

does nlite do windows 7 also?